Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Huainan

For one person, living is cheaper in Huainan: $714 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Huainan
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Huainan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Huainan

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Huainan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Huainan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $714 in Huainan, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Huainan $714

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,133 in Huainan, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Huainan $1,133

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,552 in Huainan, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Huainan $1,552

Phuket costs about 79% more than Huainan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Huainan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Huainan 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.86 ¥19.05

56.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$21.17 ¥141

53.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.98 ¥33.15

76.91%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.04 ¥20.26

-6.91%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.46 ¥3.09

89.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.27 ¥1.79

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$0.87 ¥5.76

194.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.05 ¥13.64

79.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.88 ¥12.54

-11.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.60 ¥10.63

-8.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.96 ¥6.39

56.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.56 ¥10.36

33.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.72 ¥84.7

49.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.14 ¥20.87

5.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.33 ¥68.7

5.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.86 ¥12.38

57.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.22 ¥8.09

38.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.47 ¥9.78

53.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.11 ¥7.36

87.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.71 ¥4.72

112.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.95 ¥6.30

45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.61 ¥4.04

75.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.51 ¥3.39

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.14 ¥20.92

33.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.42 ¥69.4

80.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.75 ¥4.98

142.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.66 ¥11.07

71.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.29 ¥1.94

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$16.84 ¥112

236.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.42 ¥9.46

112.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.33 ¥2.17

209.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$6.58 ¥43.78

-43.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.13 ¥7.52

30.09%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$19.3K ¥128.2K

38.97%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$17.4K ¥116.0K

53.18%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$96.4 ฿3,247

$45.61 ¥304

111.25%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.26 ฿380

$9.78 ¥65.1

15.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$11.60 ¥77.2

45.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$41.04 ¥273

63.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$14.19 ¥94.4

-24.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.87 ¥39.09

27.77%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$476 ฿16.0K

$328 ¥2,181

45.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$16.9K ¥112.6K

-33.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$43.83 ¥292

42.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$29.89 ¥199

-4.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$70.7 ¥471

33.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$71.2 ¥474

20.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$277 ¥1,841

158.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$192 ¥1,277

155.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$583 ¥3,878

230.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$364 ¥2,425

292.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$3,075 ¥20.5K

35.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$2,001 ¥13.3K

52.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.89

43.19%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Huainan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Huainan

$192 26.9% 60.9% $299

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Huainan

$198 27.8% 25.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Huainan

$67 9.4% 46.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Huainan

$97 13.6% 20.4% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Huainan

$86 12% 29.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Huainan

$53 7.4% 35.8% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Huainan

$21 3% 70.2% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $277 in Huainan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $21 in Huainan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $198 – making Huainan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Huainan

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

09:54 9:54 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,033,528

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Huainan 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Huainan

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Huainan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,070 in Huainan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Huainan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $277 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $21 in Huainan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $714 in Huainan. That makes Huainan about 44% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Huainan, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Huainan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Huainan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Huainan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.